Laundry center seeking beer and wine license will stay dry -- for now

The Bud flowed with the Tide in one Iowan laundry center but the owner of a struggling laundromat in Massachusetts will stay dry -- for now.

Susan Parkou Weinstein

The Bud flowed with the Tide in one laundry center in Iowa, but the owner of a struggling laundromat in Massachusetts will stay dry -- for now.

Selectmen last week tabled George Moniz Jr.’s request for a seasonal beer and wine license, saying they needed more time to mull concerns about how he would control alcohol service at the Raynham Laundry Center.

“Do you get one drink for a wash, one drink for a dry and one drink for a fold?” Selectwoman Marie Smith asked.

Moniz, 47, has been seeking a license for his Cojean Plaza center for more than a year.

He says business is down 30 to 40 percent because of the recession and he’s trying to do whatever he can to stay afloat.

His neighbors in the South Street West strip mall “think it’s a great idea,” he said.

“I’m trying to stay in business,” he said. “In this economy, if you can create jobs and put people to work, it’s a positive thing.”

Moniz submitted letters of support from the owners of an abutting hair salon, bookstore, three unlicensed restaurants and a chiropractor.

In a legal opinion, his attorney Steven Torres said a license for his client was “appropriate” for the location and issuing it was “consistent with the enabling statute and is a proper exercise of the board’s statutory jurisdiction.”

Moniz is a certified bartender and said his employees would be trained in the proper service of alcohol. He said other states allow beer and wine to be served in laundromats.

But town officials weren’t convinced.

Although Moniz has had a clean track record since he opened four years ago, Police Chief Lou Pacheco said drugs or alcohol cause most serious incidents.

Pacheco also questioned the safety of serving alcohol in a work environment.

“Working and drinking don’t mix,” he said.

Acquiring a liquor license of any kind would require some changes to his 2,500-square-foot premises.

The building is equipped with a sprinkler system and fire alarms. But Moniz would have to install two handicapped-accessible bathrooms to bring the facility up to code.

Health Agent Alan Perry said alcohol or food service must meet public health codes for storage, pest control and waste disposal.

Moniz said he would be willing to meet any conditions set by the town. He said his customers say they want to have some beer or wine while doing their laundry rather than leaving to go to a restaurant or bar. He asked the board for a one-year trial run.

“I don’t think you’ll be disappointed,” he said.

But selectmen said they needed another week before making a decision.

“I commend you for your enthusiasm and ingenuity but I’m still concerned about security and safety,” Smith said.

No laundry center in Massachusetts is licensed to serve alcohol, according to the state Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission.

But in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, the popular Duds ‘N Suds Coin Laundry was equipped with a pool table, big screen television and liquor license for years. The beer was kept in a cooler.

“Some people liked it but a lot of people didn’t,” Manager Connie Lang said.

When a new owner took over in October, he decided against getting a liquor license.

Lang said she hasn’t noticed any drop off in business since she stopped serving anything but free coffee to her customers.